


the loneliest one in the room

by staystreetfriend



Category: Charmed (TV 1998)
Genre: /a little astrology, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Chris-Crossed, Episode: s06e18 Spin City, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tarot, and very protective of her brother, as a treat :), melinda is also an empath, melinda jumps through the portal before chris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2020-04-11 06:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19103479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staystreetfriend/pseuds/staystreetfriend
Summary: “I’ve only been gone for a few months, Mel. When did you get so wise?” he asks, smiling at his little sister.She faces him. “Things have been getting worse.” The smile slips off Chris’s face. “Ever since you came here. It really pissed off Wy.”





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii. So I wanted to write a fic involving Melinda in the past with Chris, even though I fully believe she never existed in the unchanged future, and this created itself! The beginning is set during Chris-Crossed. Melinda sneaks through the portal while Chris and Wyatt are fighting, because she knows jumping in would be suicide and she wants to make sure someone picks up where Chris left off in the past if he can't. Okay, that's dark, sorry. This story won't be more than a few chapters long, but I hope you guys enjoy anyway :)
> 
> Title is from 911 / Mr. Lonely by Tyler, The Creator, of course. Stream IGOR <3

Piper tosses the folded-up paper into the floorboard. “Quick, put it back,” she says urgently. A few moments later, a body flies through the wall, landing beside Leo, who jumps up in surprise.

It isn’t Chris. It’s a girl with dark hair, an inch or two taller than Paige. They stare in surprise as she stands up, taking time to dust herself off. “Well,” she says casually, “that hurt.”

“Who are you?” Piper asks, but before she has time to answer, another person is flying through the wall. This time, it _is_ Chris.

“Oh, my God. Are you okay?” Paige asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Chris says tiredly, picking himself up off the floor. “Nice spell.”

“Yeah, but we just put it in there, like, two seconds ago!” Phoebe says, gesturing to the floorboard in confusion. Leo begins to explain, but Phoebe cuts him off with, “Yeah, I don’t wanna know, I already have a little headache, thanks.”

“Okay,” Paige says, feigning optimism. “One problem down! Now we just have to figure out what to do about…” She points a finger behind her, and Chris’s eyes widen.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, rushing towards the girl and grabbing her by the shoulders. She winces.

“I saw how things were going, and I wanted to make sure…” Chris’s face settles in understanding.

“Okay, while this is fascinating, are either of you planning on filling us in?” Paige asks. The girl looks at Chris, who sighs, then waves a hand as if to say, “Go on. You’re already here.”

“I’m Mel,” she says, and Piper jumps.

“Mel? Like… short for Melinda?” she asks hopefully. If so, maybe this girl is her _daughter_. She looks like Piper. And it would explain why Piper feels the sudden urge to take care of her.

Melinda opens her mouth, but Chris cuts her off. “Future consequences,” he says through gritted teeth, which seems to annoy their family.

“ _Jesus_ , Chris, we only want to know her _name_. Would you give it a rest?” Phoebe groans. Melinda feels exasperation and muted rage practically oozing out of her, and sees red.

“I’m  _sorry_?” Melinda says. She steps towards her aunt, but Chris grabs her by the arm.

“God, Mel, are you nine again? You need to _control_ yourself.”

“We just want to know more about you, Chris. You’ve never given us a reason to trust you, and now that you’ve brought back some teenager, we _need_ answers,” Leo says, trying to reason with the witchlighter while crossing his arms against his chest in determination.

“I’m twenty, thank you.” Then, Melinda’s face goes white. She turns and faces her brother. “Are. You. Insane. You didn’t _tell_ them?” Chris stares at her, which gives her the answer she needs. “Come on,” she says, grabbing one of his arms. “Take me somewhere that… isn’t here. Orb.”

“Wait!” Piper shouts, but it’s too late.

Melinda finds herself in the backroom of her mother’s club and takes a look around. There’s an unmade bed - just a mattress, really - and a desk with piles of paper covering every surface. Chris has definitely been staying here.

“You’ve made a mess of things, bro,” Melinda forces out. She wants to cry, but she knows that would crush Chris, and _he’s_ the one who’s been living like this.

Chris sighs. “I know, but they _can’t_ find out who I am. It would ruin all the progress I’ve made. Besides, I prepared myself for this. They aren’t The Charmed Ones we know, not yet.”

Melinda looks away. “I can’t feel anything from Mom, I don’t know why, but from Leo I felt… a lot. I felt his love for her, obviously, but it felt different. There was guilt mixed in. What does that mean?” Chris doesn’t answer. “Have you fucked up your own existence, Chris? And mine, for that matter?”

Chris runs a shaking hand through his hair. “You can’t feel anything from Piper because she took an empath-blocking potion. Paige and I did, too.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I _know_ what I’m doing,” Chris insists. Melinda gives him a look.

“Fine. You know I trust you, but this…” She shakes her head. “Look, since you’re here, I don’t have to stay, but it’s going to take a little while to write the spell to send me back. We better go back and tell them something so they can at least get started on it. Don’t give me that look! It’s just so they’ll trust you, since you _obviously_ don’t plan on making sure of that yourself.”

“I told you I can handle it.”

“Chris, don’t. You know as well as I do how important trust is, _especially_ if you’re gonna do what you plan on doing. Jesus, I would’ve insisted on coming with you if I knew you were gonna disregard yourself like this,” Melinda mutters as she starts to organize papers. Chris watches this with amusement.

“I’ve only been gone for a few months, Mel. When did you get so wise?” he asks, smiling at his little sister.

She faces him. “Things have been getting worse.” The smile slips off Chris’s face. “Ever since you came here. It _really_ pissed off Wy.”

“Well, that explains why he tried to throw an energy ball at me earlier.”

“ _What_?”

“Yeah. Right before I jumped through the portal. It surprised me, too. He’s never tried to kill me before. Maybe… he just wanted to keep me there. Maybe he would’ve healed me.”

Melinda tilts her head in disbelief. “He hasn’t been able to heal in years and you know that.”

Chris exhales. “Oh, well. Nothing happened. We just need to focus on getting you back.” He stands up and holds his hand out to Melinda, orbing them back to the Manor.

The Charmed Ones and Leo are still in the attic when Chris and Melinda materialize, cleaning up and obviously waiting for the two time travelers to return.

Piper drops the pad of paper in her hands. Chris steps towards her, hoping his face will reveal that he’s finally willing to give them what they want: answers.

“Explain,” Piper says, putting her hands on her hips.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we try to find a compromise? Mel can stay, for now, but if it gets too dangerous, we’ll write a spell to send her back. Does that sound fair?” Paige asks, looking from one time-traveler to the other with raised eyebrows. Melinda turns to her, and her gaze looks appraising. Finally, she relents.
> 
> “That sounds fair to me.”
> 
> Chris grumbles. “It’s not like I have a choice. You’re just gonna do what you want.” He orbs out of the attic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Okay, I did want to clear up a very small detail about the last chapter that I realized isn't canon. Technically, Melinda can orb, as well as use telekinetic orbing, even though she was conceived after Leo fell from grace, but I think that's fucking stupid and truly makes no sense. (I also think the whole Wyatt-being-Twice-Blessed-but-not-Chris thing is stupid, but that's not really as relevant.) I think her powers suck, and that isn't fair, so I decided to swap out her orbing power(s) with empathy because empathy is... cool, and it's obviously possible for witches to inherit powers that aren't necessarily their mother or father's powers. That's why Chris had to orb her away from their family in the last chapter. Okay, yay :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

“So… Mel is my little sister.”

“Yeah. We figured as much,” Phoebe says, examining her nails.

Chris exhales. “Right. I’m half-witch, half-whitelighter, which you guys now know. Our mother was a witch, and our father was a whitelighter before he fell from grace a few years prior to Mel’s, er, conception.”

“Why did he…” Leo trails off, startled. It’s a concept, sure. Whitelighters, and even Elders, have fallen from grace before, but it is extremely rare. People choose whether or not they want to become whitelighters. Not many would make that choice and then decide they made a mistake. It just doesn’t happen. The Elders choose potential whitelighters very wisely. And what is this about even more whitelighters breaking the rules? It was such a debacle when Piper and Leo wanted to get married, and then have kids, but it seems like a common thing in the future…

“He was tired of being away from his - well, from _one_ of his kids,” Melinda mutters. “Obviously, it was pointless. He ended up asking for… reinstatement, if you will, and he was killed a few years later.”

“Anyway,” Chris interjects, trying to ignore the crestfallen look on Leo’s face, “that isn’t the point. The point is… Wyatt.” Everyone looks up in anticipation for Chris’s next words. “The evil from the future I came back to stop isn’t a demon. It’s Wyatt.”

Just like dominoes falling down a line, the eyes of four people widen, one after another, as the statement sets in. Both Piper and Leo go pale. “Why,” Leo grasps, “should we believe you after all the lies?”

Chris clenches his jaw. Melinda steps in front of her brother. “Because we have no reason to lie. _I_ have no reason to lie. Come on, I know I haven’t been here for very long, but I know my brother. Think back to every lie he’s ever told you. Hasn’t he always had his reasons?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Piper responds, her eyes full of anger. “It doesn’t matter if he has every reason or _zero_ reason to lie. This is my _family._ ”

“Fine!” Chris shouts. “Don’t believe me. I don’t _care_ if you don’t believe me. Things would be a hell of a lot easier for me with your trust, but your lack of it won’t stop me from doing what I came here to do, and I’m staying here until I do it, whether you like it or not.”

“Chris, they can still vanquish you,” Melinda mutters.

“They’re telling the truth,” Phoebe says quickly, hoping to stop the situation from getting physical. “Mel is, at least. I can feel it.”

Chris sighs, relieved. “Finally, somebody’s paying attention!”

“Chris,” Melinda warns as Piper stares, shocked over Phoebe’s comment, who shrugs at her. “We knew how hard this would be for them.” Chris groans, but nods.

“I don’t understand. Were you guys… close to Wyatt as children, or something?” Paige asks, causing Piper and Leo to look up curiously.

“Or something,” Melinda mutters darkly. Chris elbows her. “Wyatt viewed us as… important. Our - our powers were seen as useful to him, so he kept us under his watch. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Chris clears his throat, obviously uncomfortable but trying to push through it. “Something about Wyatt - the Wyatt we know - that you guys have to understand is… he’s not some stereotypical evil dictator. He doesn’t go out of his way to kill people for no reason, like…”

“Oh, like Hitler?” Paige jumps in, making everyone else wince.

“R-Right,” Chris stutters. “Um. I don’t know if any of this will make you guys feel better, but… Wyatt has integrity, at least. If you ask him to do something, within reason, he’ll do it. If you ask him to promise something, he’ll promise. And he won’t break it.”

“With all of this in mind, Wyatt _is_ evil,” Melinda pushes, looking at her brother out of the corner of her eye. “His methods themselves may not be deceitful, but he is _definitely_ an expert at deceiving people. You forget that he has so much control over you because he treats you so well.” Piper shudders.

“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” she says, running her hands through her hair in a futile attempt to distract herself. Tears begin to form in her eyes anyway. Phoebe and Paige nod their heads, agreeing, but Leo doesn’t look so sure.

“I just need to know one more thing. You say all of this about Wyatt, but you’re still here. Why? Why do you care about my son so much?” Leo asks. Melinda feels some suspicion from him, but mostly confusion.

Chris and Melinda turn to each other. “Chris?” she asks.

Chris sighs. “I just… I _know_ that Wyatt isn’t supposed to be evil.” Everyone frowns at the urgency in his voice. “I mean,” he backtracks, “it just doesn’t make _sense_. It’s not in the Halliwell genes. Please know that I can’t tell you all of the details, because there are specific people involved that _need_ to be kept secret, but after a lot of searching I found out that something happened - happens to Wyatt a few months before his second birthday. It was apparently so bad that nobody liked to talk about it, so I have no idea what even happened, but it’s the only event that stood out to me as one that could’ve turned him.”

“Wait, his _second_ birthday? Why come here so many months in advance? Wyatt isn’t even one yet,” Phoebe interjects.

“Because I’ve been trying to weed out as much of the underworld as I can.”

“ _That’s_ why you’ve been sending us on so many demon hunts!” Paige realizes.

Chris nods. “The upper-level portion of the underworld is the only part I really care about, because they’re the only ones who could even hope to pull off what happened to Wyatt. Obviously, if I knew who did this, it would make things a lot easier for me, but we can’t always get what we want, can we?”

“We’ll find out,” Piper says, standing up and facing Chris with a new look of pure determination in her eyes. “Whatever it takes. We’ll find the bastard who did this and make him wish he never tried to mess with us.”

Chris watches Leo nod in agreement and lets out a small smile. “Right after we figure out how to get Mel home,” he says, turning to his sister.

“Yeah, about that… I’ve been thinking,” Melinda says, staring at the wall in deep thought.

“Oh, God,” Chris says, half-teasing and half-concerned.

“Wyatt doesn’t know I’m here. He has no idea anyone but _you_ stepped through that portal earlier.”

“So?” Leo asks, failing to see what the young woman means.

“ _So_ ,” Melinda begins, “he’s going to keep trying to bring Chris back. He’s going to send more and more people, but next time, it’ll be someone who doesn’t care so much about bringing Chris back alive, like Bianca does. Did.” Chris winces but quickly relaxes his face, hoping nobody noticed but knowing that everybody in the room did.

“What are you saying, Mel?” he asks, his concern for her growing.

“I’m _saying_ that I think I should stay. I’ll watch your back to make sure no one kills you in your sleep, and we’ll also be able to double up on finding what you’ve been looking for. Maybe get done faster, so we can go back to our time together.”

Everyone considers this. To Piper, it sounds reasonable, but Chris obviously doesn’t agree.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m going to agree to that,” he says, his voice permeated with anger. Melinda’s jaw clenches.

“Why? Because it’s too _dangerous_ here? Bullshit. You know what I just came from.”

“Yeah. I do. But you don’t know what it’s like _here_. Yeah, evil might be underground for now, but that doesn’t mean this world is safe,” Chris says, taking care to keep his tone neutral so it doesn’t sound like he’s trying to patronize Melinda.

“Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t we try to find a compromise? Mel can stay, for now, but if it gets too dangerous, we’ll write a spell to send her back. Does that sound fair?” Paige asks, looking from one time-traveler to the other with raised eyebrows. Melinda turns to her, and her gaze looks appraising. Finally, she relents.

“That sounds fair to me.”

Chris grumbles. “It’s not like I have a choice. You’re just gonna do what you want.” He orbs out of the attic.

“He can be so dramatic sometimes,” Melinda says, looking from Phoebe to Paige and then to her mother. She still can’t feel anything from her, unsurprisingly, but Melinda knows that Piper is worried, and that comforts her, in a way.

“Yeah, that’s the Chris we know. But, you know, one thing I noticed today that I’ve only seen from him once before was concern. He was only acting like that because he’s worried for your safety, kiddo,” Phoebe says, offering her a smile.

“I know,” Melinda sighs, “but I can take care of myself. He knows that, too. He’s just being an annoying big brother. What do you mean by “once before”, though?”

“Oh, it was actually not very long ago. We vanquished this Manticore who ended up being the mother of the _cutest_ little baby, which we found and took home. Chris freaked out because he saw Wyatt bonding with him in the playpen and told us to vanquish him because he was afraid that, and I quote, “this could be the future evil that gets to Wyatt”… it was just a whole thing,” Phoebe says. Melinda frowns. “Yeah, I know, but it all worked out in the end.”

“Is the baby’s father named Derek, by chance?” Melinda asks, sounding slightly amused. The Charmed Ones all look up.

“Yeah…” Piper says, her eyes wide.

“Huh. Chris didn’t tell me he crossed paths with Seth. Although, I do think I know why he wanted you to vanquish him. He’s not evil, really. Chris has just… never liked the guy. For his own reasons.”

Piper smiles thoughtfully. “Seth? So Derek did end up naming him…” Melinda’s gaze softens.

“Leo,” she says, changing the subject. The Elder, who was obviously very deep in thought, startles and looks at Melinda. “Could you, uh, orb me to Chris? I’d like to make sure he’s okay.”

“Why do you need…” Leo begins, before remembering what Chris said earlier about their father. “Yeah, one second.” He takes a moment to sense for the young man. “He’s on the Golden Gate Bridge right now.”

“Oh, Jesus. Well, here’s to hoping he’s not that mad at me!”

“Wait!” Piper says suddenly. Melinda looks at her. “You, uh, mentioned that Wyatt kept you under his watch, but then you said that he wouldn’t know you’re back here.”

Melinda tenses. “What are you saying?”

“I just want to know… why that is?  _Please_ don’t say “future consequences” or anything Chris always says to get out of answering our questions. I need to know.”

The witch turns to her mother, her eyes full of raw sadness. “You really don’t want to know. But you might find out on your own soon enough. Leo?” Although Leo wants to know just how evil his son might grow up to be as much as Piper does, he knows he’s on thinner ice with Melinda and her brother than the rest of them are. Trust goes both ways, and he knows that, too, so he orbs the girl, allowing her to leave behind a group of people who, somehow, are even more confused than ever before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda dug myself into a hole with this one. I said this would be a fairly short fic, and that obviously won't be happening now :) I love that for me! Truthfully, I don't like to work on fanfics for too long simply because I get bored and move on very quickly and I hate leaving things unfinished, but I'm going to try to make sure that doesn't happen, because I love the potential Melinda's character has for any story, and I wish more people talked/wrote about her. Also, I'm not sure who first named the Manticore baby "Seth", but I feel like it's become such a trend amongst Charmed fanfic writers and readers, so I naturally decided to conform. Okay... until next time <3


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Look at all those people down there. They have no fucking clue that in… what, fifteen years, the world is gonna go to shit.” She looks back at Chris. Her eyes, normally hazel, are now bright green, her gaze determined. “They’ll never have to know, if we play our cards right.”
> 
> Chris nods, allowing his sister’s determination to strengthen him. “They’ll never have to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just say... sorry? The last few months of 2019 were rough, and 2020 is shaping up to be rough as well, but we're all going to get through it. On the bright side, I feel like I finally have more free time than ever with COVID-19 going on, so I plan to get back into this fanfic, because I am still very excited about it. A lot of this chapter was written last summer, and I honestly had to go back and re-read the first two chapters just to remember what the hell I was talking about. I'm not really in love with this chapter, as it's a filler more than it is anything else and I always find those super difficult to write, but I hope you all enjoy anyway! My birthday is on Sunday (I'm gonna be twenty-one, how fucking crazy is that), so I definitely won't be updating again before then, but I look forward to talking to you all soon. Stay safe <3

Leo orbs Melinda to the Golden Gate Bridge, exactly where he said Chris would be. She finds her brother unmoving with his face buried in his hands.

“Chris,” she says, hoping to break him out of whatever bubble he had put himself in. He reluctantly looks up and faces his sister.

“You just… don’t know how much I blame myself. If you did, you would understand why I _just_ want to keep you safe.”

Melinda sighs. “What do you blame yourself for, Chris?” He looks away, choosing, instead, to stare at the dozens of vehicles below them. He remembers doing this as a kid. He would orb up here every time Leo forgot to come to one of his soccer games or failed to congratulate him for acing a test, looking down at all of the cars filled with happy families, and wondering why one of those fathers couldn’t have been his.

Melinda watches him zone out, and wonders what he could possibly be thinking of. Before she has time to ask, he sniffles, and it suddenly hits her. “You don’t blame yourself for… Wyatt turning evil. Do you?”

“Shouldn’t I?” he scoffs. “Everything went to shit right after Mom died, didn’t it?”

Melinda frowns. “After Mom was _killed_. By a _demon._ You had nothing to do with that, Chris, what the fuck?”

“It was my birthday, Melinda.” Chris turns to his little sister, taking in the look of pure disbelief on her face, and wonders if she really finds the idea that their mother’s death was his fault so preposterous. “I was the only whitelighter, or part-whitelighter, around, and I couldn’t even heal her, because I’m _weak_. Come on. Even Leo blames me.”

“ _Leo_? He’s the one who didn’t answer when we called! God, it doesn’t even matter if Leo blames you anyway because it’s _not your fault_.”

“It’s only the demon’s fault, right?”

“Yes!”

“Who Wyatt vanquished.”

“ _Yes_.”

“And then he took over the Underworld.”

Melinda scoffs. “Fine. Of _course_ you think it’s your fault. Martyr Chris. That’s nothing new.”

“Don’t do that. You always go for the low blow. Can’t we just have a conversation for once? Can’t you just… try to understand where I’m coming from? I don’t want you to be here, and I don’t think I’m in the wrong for that.” Chris sighs, looking down and rubbing his eyes aggressively.

Melinda’s mouth snaps shut. She stares at Chris, wondering where this vulnerability has come from. She allows her mind to wander for a moment, considering just how bad things have been for him in this timeline with their family who isn’t even their family yet. She sighs, moving a little closer to her brother, but giving him the space she knows he needs.

“Fine. But, Chris… I’m staying here, and you _have_ to get over it. You have to trust me to… I don’t know, not only have your back but to also have my own.”

Chris turns to Melinda, looking confused. She rolls her eyes. “I know you think I can’t take care of myself, but I can and I _will_. I have been since you left.”

“I don’t,” he starts with a rough voice, then pauses to clear his throat. “I don’t think you can’t take care of yourself. I just don’t think you should have to. You’re still a teenager, Mel, and I hate that you haven’t gotten to experience all of the things teenagers are supposed to experience.”

“You haven’t either,” she points out.

“It’s different,” Chris says, sparing a small smile and looking down at his destroyed shoes. “It’s… I’m older. You – I’m always going to want the best for you, you know? I’m always going to want… better.”

Melinda lets out a sigh, smiling sadly. “Yeah. I know. That’s why you’re here. That’s why _we’re_ here. What I want… is for things to stay how they are in this timeline. _That’s_ what’s best for me, and we need to work together to make it happen.”

Chris turns to look at his sister. She turns her head down and he follows her gaze.

“Look at all those people down there. They have no fucking clue that in… what, fifteen years, the world is gonna go to shit.” She looks back at Chris. Her eyes, normally hazel, are now bright green, her gaze determined. “They’ll never have to know, if we play our cards right.”

Chris nods, allowing his sister’s determination to strengthen him. “They’ll never have to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could've taken the route where Chris gets himself seriously hurt while demon-hunting because he's too distracted worrying about his sister to focus, but I really wanted to be nice to him. I hope you guys enjoyed <3 Feel free to comment anything your heart desires! Remember to continue self-isolating and take care of yourselves and your people during a time like this.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Piper?” Phoebe says slowly. “Are you…”
> 
> “I’m pregnant,” Piper says, turning to her sisters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, obviously, never mind about the whole not-updating-until-after-my-birthday thing. I started writing this chapter and then I didn't want to stop :) At this point, quite some time has passed (not months but more like a few weeks, I want to say) since the last chapter because things have settled, and Piper has since gotten pregnant. I didn't want to have to re-write Melinda into Chris's frantic efforts to make Leo and Piper conceive him, because I would have had no idea how to do that without giving who they are away, which would have just been too soon in my opinion. Also, there were only a few episodes in between Chris's conception and birth, and I would like to spend more time than the show did on Piper actually being pregnant with him. I have sooo many ideas, and now that I've gotten this chapter's content out of the way I can actually form some kind of plot.

Chris and Melinda sit together on the floor around the coffee table in the Manor’s conservatory. Phoebe and Paige come walking in with a pitcher of tea that Piper no doubt sent in from the kitchen just in time to see Chris slowly spread out a deck of brown cards.

“Huh. You two believe in that stuff?” Paige asks, looking amused as she sets the pitcher down just next to the cards. Chris and Melinda both turn to her with the same strange look on both of their faces, reminding her yet again that they are related.

“We’re all magical beings, literally, yet you think tarot card readings are so surprising?” Melinda asks.

Phoebe snorts. Paige frowns at her. “She has a point.”

“Can everyone be quiet? I’m _trying_ to focus,” Chris says, sounding deeply annoyed as his hands hover over the now spread out cards.

They all shut up. A few moments pass before Melinda breaks the silence with, “I’m losing my mind.”

“Oh, my God!”

“Come _on_ ,” Melinda pleads. “This can wait. We have an _entire_ underworld full of demons to kill.”

“No,” Chris asserts. “This is important. I need patience, which, honestly, Mel, is something that would really do you some good to learn.”

“You guys kinda sound like Piper and Leo,” Phoebe says, smiling at the thought.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s a compliment in this context,” Melinda laughs, sounding slightly pleased anyway.

“It’s just surprising that Chris is so calm right now. Usually, he would jump at the idea of going out to vanquish a bunch of demons,” Paige responds.

“Oh, trust me, I know. This is the one thing he’s, like, really serious about. Not even potion-making, which requires a lot more focus, in my opinion.”

“This requires patience,” Chris murmurs. “It doesn’t work without patience, or intent.”

“I don’t think it works at all, but okay,” Paige whispers, loud enough so that only her sister can hear. Phoebe playfully shoves her.

Chris finally pulls a card out from the pile. He turns it over, and Melinda leans in closer to get a good look.

Judgment. They both sigh.

“What?” Phoebe asks, mostly curious but also slightly worried. “What does Judgment mean?”

“Nothing awful,” Melinda assures her. “It’s just that Chris keeps pulling this one.”

Chris clutches the card. “The Judgment card means a turning point is coming, and the choices that are made at this point will change everything. There will be no looking back once this happens.”

“Oh,” Paige says. “That’s a little… intimidating.”

“At least it isn’t reversed. A reversed Judgment card signifies self-doubt.”

Much to her resistance, Paige’s interest grows. “How did you two get into this kinda thing?” She finally sits down near Chris and Melinda, and Phoebe follows her lead.

“Believe it or not, it’s actually really popular in the future,” Chris answers a little reluctantly.

“People make YouTube videos about it and everything,” Melinda pipes up, looking rather excited about the topic.

“YouTube?” Paige frowns.

“Which was created in 2005,” Chris says in a clipped tone. “Nice one, genius.”

“My bad. Anyway, Judgment,” Melinda redirects, “is ruled by Pluto, which does link this card to death. Nothing lasts forever, and new beginnings, and all that.”

“Death?” Phoebe startles, suddenly thinking about Wyatt. “Does that mean we’re at risk of being hurt?”

“No, I think it means Chris will be the one to get hurt, if anything. He pulled the card.” Melinda looks tense.

“Yeah, and I _keep_ pulling it,” Chris sighs out, slapping it down onto the pile.

“Do either of you wanna try?” Melinda asks brightly in an attempt to lift his spirits. He really does love this kind of thing.

“Ooh, let’s get Piper to do it!” Phoebe squeals. “Piper!”

“What?” Piper asks from the kitchen.

“Come do a tarot card reading with us!”

They hear footsteps, and Piper shows up a moment later. “Ha. No, thanks.”

“Come on,” Paige urges. “It’s actually pretty cool.”

“Ugh, fine. I just put some cookies in the oven, though, so I only have about ten minutes.”

“That should be enough time.” Melinda smiles warmly at her mother. Chris elbows her softly, his eyes practically burning holes into the cards.

“Okay, pick one,” he says to Piper. She puts her finger on her chin in contemplation, and then grabs the second to last card in the pile. She hands it to Chris, who looks at it and freezes.

“What is that one?” Paige asks curiously.

“That’s…” Chris clears his throat. “The Empress.”

“Meaning?” Piper frowns at Chris’s behavior.

“Oh, it signifies, you know, beauty, nature…”

“Fertility,” Melinda deadpans, glaring at Chris.

“I… what!?” Piper demands, while both Phoebe and Paige’s eyes go wide.

“It – it strongly indicates, um, pregnancy,” Melinda says weakly. Chris lets the card slip out of his hand to land on the top of the pile.

“Piper?” Phoebe says slowly. “Are you…”

“I’m pregnant,” Piper says, turning to her sisters.

“How long have you known?” Paige asks. “I mean, have you taken, like, a pregnancy test? Seen a doctor?”

“No, no, I just… know. I’ve suspected for a few days, but… I mean, it just makes sense.”

Paige nods. “Okay… I mean, I don’t want to be rude, but… whose is it?”

“Leo’s,” Piper responds, examining the floor. Chris and Melinda spare a glance at each other.

Paige and Phoebe gape at Piper, but Chris and Melinda look down, suddenly really interested in card-shuffling.

“ _How_?”

“You don’t really need any _details_ , do you?”

“No,” Paige says quickly. “Absolutely not. I just have to know, are you happy?”

Suddenly, Piper smiles. She looks down at her flat stomach, placing a protective hand over it. “Yeah.”

Chris’s cheeks heat up. He looks at Piper, who gazes back with a smile still on her face. For once, she doesn’t look at him with any annoyance or resentment. His eyes start to feel suspiciously wet, so he looks away and places his hands on the coffee table, standing up. “Well,” he says, “Mel and I will, uh, give you three a moment. I’m happy for you, Piper.”

Piper’s smile grows. “Thank you, Chris.”

Melinda stands up. She looks conflicted for a moment, but the crease in her brow smoothes as she quickly hugs Piper. Chris orbs the two of them out of the room while Piper stares, shocked but not unhappily so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Judgment card idea was taken from the beginning scene of Spin City. I'm at least 80% sure that what Chris is doing in that scene is tarot-related. I actually had no idea what this card meant before I did research on it for this chapter, but I always guessed that it had to have some significance for it to be included in the show. I have to say it is insanely cool to find out even more about a scene/show you've watched literally hundreds of times over the course of your life. Here's the link if you want to check the meaning out for yourself: https://labyrinthos.co/blogs/tarot-card-meanings-list/judgement-meaning-major-arcana-tarot-card-meanings
> 
> I also want to mention I'm aware that Chris may seem super OOC, because patient he is never, but my goal was to highlight how different people act when they're around their siblings, especially siblings younger than them. Melinda is still very young (she's only 20 at this point in the story, same as me, and I know I still have a looot of maturing to do), so she's naturally going to be impatient and impulsive and all that. Chris is, too, for sure, but less so when he's around Melinda, because he feels the need to really take on the responsible older sibling role. Also, I can imagine he's likely the most responsible in general compared to both of his siblings. Don't worry, though, he'll definitely be a little reckless in the future, because I don't want to completely take that away from him <3


End file.
